Thursday, March 11, 2010

Two Ad Hoc recipes in one week! What am I crazy? No, not really, as this was a pretty simple recipe. I mean, how hard can you really make grilled cheese? This one did require making your own brioche but making bread isn't really that hard, just time consuming.I must admit I didn't use the Ad Hoc brioche recipe, instead I went with the one in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I'm afraid I put a little too much dough in the pan so it got huge while baking & I had a hard time getting it to cook through.It was still pretty darn tasty, in that heavy, eggy, buttery, rich brioche way. (& I have lots left over to make the Ad Hoc Banana Brea Pudding!)From there all you need is some good gruyere, about 1 1/2 oz per sandwich, & unsalted butter. Slice the bread & cheese thinly, the book calls for the bread to be 1/4 inch but I had a hard time slicing that thin & not having it fall apart.Melt a tablespoon or two of the butter in a skillet over medium heat until it just starts to brown. Assemble the sandwiches & put them in the skillet. Brown on one side & then flip to brown the other. Put the sandwiches on a baking sheet & spread a teaspoon more butter on the top of each. Bake in a 350 F oven until the cheese is melted. Cut off the crusts & enjoy a rich buttery treat.

I served it with a tomato soup that I threw together pretty quickly with what I had in the pantry. I used the tomatoes I canned last summer & it had a much fresher taste than store-bought soup.

Simple Tomato Soup

2 cans tomatoes (I used whole because that is what I have but you can use diced or crushed, whatever)1/4 t garlic powder1/2 t dried minced onion1 t dried basil1 T balsamic vinegar1 t sugar1/4 c heavy creamsalt & pepper

Put the tomatoes including juices in a medium saucepan. Crush with a spoon. Stir in the garlic, onion, basil, vinegar & sugar. Bring to a simmer & let cook for about 15 minutes. Purée either in a blender or with an immersion blender. Return to the pot & stir in the cream. Add salt & pepper to taste. Heat without boiling & serve.

2 small servings

So a question for you all. The book says they serve this grilled cheese sandwich at the Ad Hoc restaurant. If you went to one of Thomas Keller's restaurants would you order a grilled cheese sandwich?

Definitely have to try making my own brioche. The grilled cheese has to be incredible. I may not get around to that by tomorrow, but tomato soup may make an appearance for my lunch. So simple and it looks great!

I love Ad Hoc at Home. Yet I do wish he would publish a small format companion book with just the recipes--a useful size for the kitchen. Ad Hoc at Home is certainly a magnificent volume in every way. But it's worth a mention that it's the size and weight of a large "coffee table" book and heavy,too!

This is preceisely what we had for dinner last night. Of course it wasnt as nice as yours but still pretty tastey. I am always happy when I use my canned goods. Makes me feel so accomplished. (see my puffed chest).

You know I dont think I would order the grilled cheese if I was there. I always order things I would not or could not make at home.

New to the site and have been looking through some of your older posts. Ad Hoc actually has 1 set menu each day, so you don't technically order. What they are serving is what you get. On our one visit, the entire meal was incredible.